NORTH

NOW that really gave me a land. I thought Drogheda Congress was about ten or maybe 12 years old.

Not a bit of it. In fact their 21st birthday will be celebrated at the Westcourt Hotel on the weekend of October 3-5.

In those 21 years Drogheda has developed into one of the leading Congresses in that it attracts players from such a wide range of places, especially from the North.

You might say that this is hardly surprising, of course, with over €8,000 on offer in seven events, not to mention Grand Prix awards for no fewer than 14 categories.

We start on October 3 with mixed pairs and novice pairs. Saturday has congress inter A and B pairs pairs at noon, ending with Congress and intermediate teams on October 5 at noon. Open pairs at all sessions. The man to contact for entries and all queries is Peter Byrne, tel: (086) 804-9531 or email peterbyrne1entries@hotmail.com Today's hand is from a club championship. Bidding (E dealer ; both vul) E S W N 1H 2NT X 3C X 4C 4S P 4NT P 5C P 6S If you pass on that E hand, slam vanishes. It is much too good to pass, so maybe you need a system bid to show it. In that absence you must open 1H or maybe 1S. Just the 20-count, but slam is icy in either major.